Ford F-250 vs Ram 2500
Sturgis Ford comparison
Ford F-250 vs Ram 2500
The Ford F-250 and the Ram 2500 are both three-quarter-ton pickups. The useful comparison is the engine you will actually order, and whether you tow a trailer with a bumper hitch or a gooseneck.
The 2026 Ram 2500 capability page lists a High Output 6.7L Cummins at 430 horsepower and 1,075 lb-ft of torque, with max towing of 20,000 pounds and max payload of 3,600 pounds. The 6.4L HEMI on that Ram 2500 page is 405 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque, with max towing of 17,750 pounds and max payload of 3,930 pounds. Max GVWR on the Ram 2500 is 11,040 pounds. A 50-gallon tank is available on the Crew Cab with an 8-foot bed. Some write-ups still quote a 370-horsepower Cummins or a payload over 4,400 pounds. Those are not the High Output figures on Ram’s 2026 Ram 2500 page.
The Ford F-250 page lists a 7.3L gas V8 at 420 horsepower and a 6.7L High-Output Power Stroke diesel at 500 horsepower. The 2026 Ford F-250 SRW towing chart, not the Super Duty family headline, is the towing capacity that belongs on this truck. The 40,000-pound diesel figure on Ford’s Super Duty page needs the 40K gooseneck package and is not a Ford F-250 number. Hauling a gooseneck trailer is a different job from everyday bumper towing.
Start here
The short version
Ram diesel torque
HO Cummins: 1,075 lb-ft and up to 20,000 pounds of towing when properly equipped.
F-250 gooseneck
The F-250 SRW chart reaches 23,000 pounds gooseneck on some HO diesel rows with the high-capacity axle package.
Not the 40,000
That Super Duty headline is a different truck and a specific package. Do not put it on an F-250.
Shop the Ford
See Super Duty inventory and our F-250 vs F-350 guide if the load is bigger.
Ram 2500 and Ford F-250 engines
On the Ram 2500, the High Output Cummins diesel is the torque play at 1,075 lb-ft. The 6.4L HEMI gives up diesel torque and lists a higher max payload, 3,930 pounds against 3,600. Snowplow prep is standard on that Ram 2500 page, with a 220-amp alternator and snowplow prep wiring.
On the Ford F-250, Ford’s model page calls out the 7.3L gas V8 at 420 horsepower and the 6.7L High-Output Power Stroke diesel at 500 horsepower. The Super Duty family chart lists more engines, including a 6.8L gas V8 and a standard-output 6.7L diesel. Confirm the engine on the Ford F-250 configuration you are pricing. A family chart is not a promise that every Ford F-250 has the high-output diesel. Performance on paper is the engine and the axle. The bed length and the cab change the real rating.
Towing, by hitch
Ram publishes one max towing capacity for the 2026 Ram 2500: 20,000 pounds with the High Output Cummins diesel, and 17,750 pounds with the 6.4L HEMI, when properly equipped.
Ford splits the Ford F-250 into conventional towing and fifth-wheel or gooseneck towing. In the 2026 F-250 SRW gooseneck chart, the High-Output 6.7L row with a 31,000-pound GCWR lists 23,000 pounds of gooseneck towing on the regular-cab 4×2 with an 8-foot box. That row requires the F-250 High-Capacity Axle Upgrade Package. Other cabs on the same row are lower. A crew cab is not that 23,000-pound truck.
Tongue weight on a conventional trailer is about 10 percent of loaded trailer weight. Fifth-wheel and gooseneck pin weight is about 15 percent. That pin weight has to fit in the truck’s payload. If the trailer is a heavy fifth-wheel, read our F-250 vs F-350 page before you stop at a 250.
Payload is the number people skip
Ram lists max payload of 3,930 pounds on the gas 2500 and 3,600 pounds on the High Output diesel. Ford’s published max payload figures on the Super Duty overview are class figures, and the 7,900-pound gas payload on that page is not an F-250 rating. Use the payload sticker in the door of the Ford F-250 you are buying. Options, a diesel engine, and a crew cab all eat into it. Hauling with a bumper hitch is a different Ford F-250 job from hauling with a gooseneck.
Which three-quarter-ton fits
Pick the F-250 if
You want a Ford, you tow with a gooseneck, and you will spec the high-output diesel and the axle package the chart calls for. Come see one in Sturgis.
The Ram 2500 wins the brochure if
You want the Cummins torque number and a published 20,000-pound max. We sell Ford in Sturgis. Use the Ram figures to test the F-250 sticker, not as a truck we have on the line.
See a Ford F-250 in Sturgis
Wareing Sturgis Ford is at 1 Ford Place, Sturgis, SD 57785. Call sales at (605) 702-0460. Sales hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM, and Saturday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Come test drive a Ford F-250. A test drive with your hitch, and a second test drive if the first loop was empty, tells you more than the brochure.
Common questions
Does the Ford F-250 tow 40,000 pounds?
No. Ford’s 40,000-pound diesel figure needs the 40K gooseneck package and sits on the Super Duty family chart. The 2026 Ford F-250 SRW gooseneck chart tops out at 23,000 pounds on a specific High-Output diesel configuration.
How much can a Ram 2500 tow?
Ram lists 20,000 pounds with the High Output 6.7L Cummins and 17,750 pounds with the 6.4L HEMI, when properly equipped.
Which has more torque?
Ram lists 1,075 lb-ft for the High Output Cummins. Ford’s Super Duty family chart lists 1,200 lb-ft for the High-Output Power Stroke. Confirm that engine is the one on the F-250 you are buying.
Can I compare them in Sturgis?
You can test drive the Ford F-250 at Wareing Sturgis Ford. Bring the trailer weight and the hitch type. We will match that vehicle to the door sticker. The engines and the axle package are the capability check. Ram’s capability page is the other number. The Ford F-250 capability that counts is the chart for the truck you are buying.
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